Kimberley Walsh says being in Girls Aloud made her more conscious of her looks.
The 40-year-old singer has insisted no one ever forced herself and her bandmates - Cheryl Tweedy, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and the late Sarah Harding - to look a certain way, but she always felt she need to place precedent on her appearance.
She told new! magazine: "Nobody ever put that demand on us, but we all knew the reality of being in a band was to look a certain way.
"I was doing what any other 20-year-old would do, trying to keep on top of their weight and health and fitness, but it escalated more because I was in a band."
Meanwhile, Girls Aloud will not sing together in tribute to Sarah when they reunite at a charity gala in memory of their late bandmate.
Kimberley admitted earlier this week that it would not “feel right” for them to perform as a band on stage at The Primrose Ball event on Saturday (08.10.22).
Instead of singing together, the band have invited Years and Years star Olly Alexander, 32, to perform, along with Sarah’s St Trinian’s movie co-star Ricky Wilson, 44, and 71-year-old singer Chrissie Hynde.
The show – Sarah’s dying wish – comes a year after she lost her battle with breast cancer, aged 39, two years after her tragic diagnosis.
Kimberley said: “It doesn’t feel right without her. We miss her so much. It’s just so hard to get your head around it – to realise that she’s gone.”
The gig will raise money for a study headed by Sarah’s oncologist analysing why so many women are suffering from breast cancer at a young age.
Mum-of-three Kimberley added: “It feels good to be doing something that she wanted and something positive.
“That’s what’s important. What I’ve found hard is people moving on with their lives and Sarah not being here.
“That’s hard because for her friends and family, we are always thinking about her. Nothing can bring her back but, with the gala and the walk, she is involved in our daily lives and that feels special.”
The Primrose Ball, at The Londoner hotel, will be hosted by Fearne Cotton and include a live charity auction.
It was named after Girls Aloud’s single ‘The Promise’, which includes Sarah singing the line: “Here I am, walking primrose.”
